The pace bowler has claimed 309 wickets in 71 five-day games with an impressive average.
Australia's chair of selectors Bailey has declared that skipper Cummins will play a "major part" in the upcoming England-Australia contest.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that had not yet healed.
Previous updates from the squad suggested no final decision had been made regarding whether he would play, with the Test matches set to start on November 21 in Western Australia.
He revealed that his recovery is on track and was "optimistic" about the likelihood of participating.
"We're aware that time is getting short and multiple considerations involved, not just the back issue, but other factors as well," Bailey remarked.
"It's positive. There's strong faith that he will feature a major part. With luck it's the first Test. If not, we'll reassess."
Previous Setbacks
Cummins was ruled out the white-ball matches against New Zealand and India recently after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of spinal problems, with flare-ups in multiple past seasons leading to absences from several home seasons in four years.
The bowler mentioned he would be bold in recovery efforts in his comeback strategy to secure his spot for the contest.
Bailey noted that it was unclear if the captain had resumed bowling as part of his rehabilitation but conceded it was "getting tight" for him to recover fully for the opener.
Contingency Plans
Should Cummins not be fit, veteran batsman Smith will assume leadership.
Versatile player Green was recently pulled out from the ODI lineup for their limited-overs matches against India as a precautionary measure because of discomfort in his torso.
He labeled it as a "minor" injury and confirmed that Green will play in the Sheffield Shield, so will be "well-prepared to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into creating the schedule for him to be available for the opening match as an dual-role player," the selector detailed.
"Originally, he'd only feature in the initial matches anyway. How he handles the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we opted to adopt a safer strategy."
Series Schedule
Australia vs England: The Ashes
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
